Coupler for railway and other vehicles



, 1,493,258 H. .GOOLD-ADAMS ET AL COUPLER RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHIZCLES May 6. 1924.

' Filed March 10 'j iszl 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 may 6 1924.

H.,, GOOLD-ADAMS ETAL cO PLERIFOR RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES "Filed March 1'0 1921- 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 6 1924 H. GOOLD-ADAMS ET AL COUPLER FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 10 1921 a? gw/ May 6 1924.

H. GOOLD-ADAMS ET AL. COUPLER FOR RAIL'JWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES Filed March 1O 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 6 1924.

H. GOOLD-ADAMS ET AL COUPLER FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES Filed March 10 1921 5 SheetsP-Sheet 5 jz ezz Zara Patented May 6, 1924..

u i E GOUPLER FO'B RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES.

Application filed March 10, 1921. Serial No. 451,180.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY Groom)- ADAMS and Jo-HN lWrroHELL, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing in London, England, have jointly invented for railway and other vehicles and more particularly to means for automatically ensuring a tight coupling under allconditions of wear between vehicles in which the connection is effected by theNorwegian hook type of coupling.

It is well known that in such method of connection although the coupling devices may be tight when the parts are new, the wear unavoidably occurring at the heads, the pin on which the hook is pivoted and the surfaces by which the hook andblock en gage cause in time an amount of slackness which is detrimental and may affect the reliability of the'system. For this reason it has, been proposed to provide a linked system connected to a right and left handed screw and pivoted to a longitudinally sliding block, by which any play in the working parts can be manually taken up after the vehicles are coupled.

According to the invention, the required tight coupling between the engaged parts is maintained automatically by spring pressure acting on a wedge shaped member, which in one form of the invention is applied to and forms part of the bar engaging the hook either directly or through an intermediate member and in an alternative construction forms the pin on which the hook is pivoted. In either arrangement any looseness or play due to wear of the workingparts is automatically taken up by the constantly acting spring pressure.

.In the simplest form of the construction according to the invention a single centrally disposed spring is provided tending to draw inwards the wedge shaped surface of the locking bar.

The application of pressure opposing the spring withdraws the wedge shaped member and allows the hook to be lifted for uncoupling the vehicles.

A suitable device, which may be for instance a gravity latch or a pawl engaging in teeth out in the locking bar, holds the latter in the uncoupling position and is released when the coupling is to be effected,

. Instead of the single central spring a spring may be provided on one side of the oral E.

HENRY GOOLD-ADAMS AND JOHN MITCHELL, Oi LONDON, ENG-LAND.

coupler head, or. a pair of springs may bev disposed respectively on either side of. the

coupler, head and the locking bar may be formed with two wedge shaped surfaces tapering from the centre outwards. This arrangement allows the locking bar to be,

drawn outwards from either side 'of' the coupler head.

In the accompanying drawings which represent examples of constructions according to the invention, Flg. 1 is an elevation and Fi 2 a plan of a Norwegian hook coupling,

in which a wedge shaped, locking bar engages with the hook and the spring is disposed on one side of the coupler head. Fig. 3 shows a pawl and ratchet for holding the looking bar in the'posit ion for uncoupling.

Fig. 4 shows in end elevation a locking bar with central spring. Figs. 5 and 6 show, respectively, in elevation and plan a coupling device in whichthe locking bar is-applied to the rear end of the hook. Figs. 7 and 8 show, respectively, in elevation and plan a locking bar engaging a coupling block. Fig. 9 shows in end view the looking bar and central spring. Figs. 10'and 11 show, respectively, in "elevation and plan a modification in which the locking bar engages one arm of a two armed pivotedlever, the other arm of which engages with the hooked end of the Norwegian hook. Fig. 12 shows a vertically arranged locking bar. Fig. 18 is a plan of a locking bar with double wedge surfaces and is adapted to ,be pulled out from head.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 4, A and B are two coupler heads, C a Nor- Wegian hook, cits pivot pin, 0' the part of the hook engaging the locking bar 1), d an inclined and d a straight side of the' bar forming a wedge shaped surface passing through suitably formed recesses b and b in the side walls of the coupler head B; One end of a spring E abuts, against aside wall either side of the coupler of the coupler head B, the other end of the A engaging in known manner in a recess 034 provided in the locking bar. The latch and handle are preferably formed as a bell crank lever, one arm 7" of which engages in the recess 03*, the other arm f of the lever serving as a handle and by its weight forcing the latch automatically into locking en gagement with the bar. The lever turns on a pin 7, which, in the example shown, is

extended through the side walls of the coupler head in order that a second handle F can be fitted on the opposite side to the latch and handle F, so that the release of the locking bar can be eflected from either side by simply raising the corresponding handle.

Fig. 3 shows a pawl g and ratchet g for retaining a locking bar Din the uncoupling position. In this case it is only necessary to lift the pawl g to release the bar D. Ob-

viously, a pawl and ratchet device can be applied in a similar manner to hold the locking bar securely in its indrawn position.

In Fig. 4 the'spring E is arranged centrally below the locking bar D; one end of I the spring abuts against the side wall 6 of the coupler head and the other end of the spring abuts against a'lug (Z5 of the bar D. The spring is supported by an axially disposed rod (i secured to the lugs 03 and d of the bar D.

In the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the locking bar D forms the pivot pin of the hook C. The construction of the locking bar, spring and latch is otherwise similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The oval bearing hole 0 provided in the hook C engages with the rounded surface of the wedge shaped locking bar. As the latter is drawn inwards by the spring E the hook C and I with it the coupler head B is drawn'to the left to take up any slackness in the working part.

In the example shown in Figs. 79 the hook C engages in the slidingblock H actuated by the locking bar D which is somewhat differently formed from the bar D of the previously described construction.

-The spring E is shown as centrally arranged in a recess of the walls of the coupler BB below the upper portion of the locking bar, an inclined rib d of which engages in a correspondingly shaped recess h in the sliding block H. A latch 03 may engage in head B.

a recess (Z provided in the lower part d of the locking bar, or a pawl and ratchet device may, as previously described, hold the bar in the uncoupling position. Projections d of the bar D support the spring E. A key it prevents the locking bar from being pulled out from the coupler head.

As the wedge shaped bar D is drawn in-' wards, the block H and with it the hook G and the coupler head A is drawn to the right to take up any play in the parts. When the'locking bar is being withdrawn, the inclined rib d engaging in the corresp'ondingly shaped recess 72, in the sliding block I-I carries the block towards the face o of the coupler head, whereupon the hook can be lifted for uncoupling the vehicles.

The inclined rib (i also retains the sliding block H in a position ready for coupling after the locking bar has been withdrawn.

A strut b" integral with the coupler head B extends between the walls of the coupler head and sustains the load transmitted through the coupling block H to thelocking bar D and thereby obviates any bending of the locking bar D.

In the modification shownin Figs. 10 and a 11, L is a two armed lever pivoted at I; the

wedge shaped extension d of the locking bar D engages with the upper surface of the approximately horizontal arm Z of the lever L; the other arm Z of the lever L which is curved and substantially at right angles to the arm Z engages with the hooked end 0 of the Norwegian hook C. The looking bar slides in the walls I), b 'of the coupler head B under the action of the spring E which in the example illustrated is centrally arranged with respect to the looking bar. As the locking bar is automatically drawn inwards by the spring E the lever L is rotated in the clockwise direction and draws the head 'A into contact with the In the construction shown in Fig. 12, the

vertical locking bar D engages in a sliding block H, which is similarly arranged to the block shown in Fig. 7 and engagesin' a similar manner with the Norwegian hook C.

In the modification shown in Fig. 13, the locking bar D is formed with two wedge shaped surfaces 03 ti, and springs E and' E are provided respectively on each side wall of the coupler head B. Two latches are also provided engaging in corresponding recesses of the locking bar. In other respects the construction is substantially similar to that shown in Figs. 14, but has-the advantage that the locking bar can be withdrawn into the uncoupling position from either side of the coupler head. In the position shown the handle (i has been'pulled so as to bring the part 03 of the locking bar into engagement with the part 0 of the hook C. The spring E is in compression and the spring E in tension, both forces tending to move the locking bar inwards. If the handle on the other side of the coupler head B had been pulled, the part d of the locking bar would have been in engagement with the hook C, spring E would have been in compression and spring E in tension and both forces would have tended to pull the bar inwards, viz: into the central position. Or one spring may be under compression while the other spring is inoperative.

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the best means we know of carrying the same into practical effect, we claim 1. A coupling for railway or like vehicles, comprising a pair of complemental coupler heads for application, respectively, to the abutting ends of two adjacent vehicles, a hook pivoted to one of said heads, a member on the other head, and means for maintaining said member automatically in contact with said hook comprising a wedge shaped locking bar in the other head movable transversely of the axis of the coupler heads and a spring for moving said wedge.

2. A coupling for railway or like vehicles, comprising a pair of complemental coupler heads for application, respectively, to the abutting ends of two vehicles to be coupled together, a hook pivoted in one of said heads, a member in the other head with which said hook is adapted to engage, a spring actuated wedge-shaped locking bar slidably mounted for movement in said other head adapted to actuate said member.

3. A coupling for uniting two railway or like vehicles comprising a coupler head for application to one vehicle having a hook pivotally mounted thereon, a coupler for application to the adjacent end of the other vehicle having a member movable longitudinally of said couplers and adapted to engage said hook, a wedge shaped locking bar in said second-named coupler engaging said longitudinally movable member for moving the same, and a spring for actuating said locking bar.

,4. A coupling for uniting two railway or like vehicles comprising a coupler head for application to one vehicle having a hook pivoted thereto, a coupler head for application to the adjacent end of the other vehicle having a longitudinally slidable block adapted toengage said hook, said block having a.

recess therein, a wedge shaped locking bar slidable transversely of said second-named coupler and having an inclined rib adapted to slidably engage in said recess, and a spring'for actuating said bar at right angles to the axis of said coupler heads.

5. A coupling for uniting two railway or I for actuating said bar at right angles to the.

axis of said coupler heads, said locking bar havinga recess therein, and alatch on the coupler head adapted to' engage in said recess.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

HENRY GOOLD-ADAMS. JOHN MITCHELL. 

